David Pecker

David Pecker (24 September 1951-) was an American businessman and publisher. He was chairman and CEO of American Media, Inc. (AMI), a strongly pro-Trump media company.

Biography
David Pecker was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York in 1951, and he became a bookkeeper at the age of 16 to support his mother after his father's death. After college, he became an accountant, and, in 1979, he joined the accounting department at CBS' magazine division, rising to vice president and controller. He went on to serve as CEO of Hachette Filipacchi Media US, leaving in 1999 to buy American Media, Inc. (AMI). He became the publisher of the National Enquirer, Star, Sun, Weekly World News, Globe, Men's Fitness, Muscle and Fitness, Flex, Fit Pregnancy, and Shape. In 2000, he supported Donald Trump's Reform Party USA presidential candidacy, and he became a personal friend of Trump. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Pecker killed stories critical of Trump in his tabloids, and allowed for pro-Trump stories to bypass the fact-checking process. In August 2018, he gained witness immunity after disclosing that Trump had knowledge of hush money payments to his former lover, Playboy model Karen McDougal.